Decorative dining napkins



Sept. 20, 1966 l. SMITH DECORATIVE DINING NAPKINS Filed May 22, 1963 INVENTOR. AFW/YG SM/rH United States Patent 3,274,045 DECORATKVE DHNHNG NAPKINS Irving Smith, 1201 Evergreen Ave, Flushing, NY. Filed May 22, 1963, Ser. No. 282,437 5 Claims. (Cl. 161-7) This invention relates to decorative dining napkins and, more particularly, to dining napkins adapted to imitate three dimensional objects in a fanciful manner.

It is an object of my invention to provide a highly decorative and attractive dining napkin which imitates in a fanciful manner three-dimensional objects and which also may serve the conventional function of a napkin on a dining table.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a napkin of the character described which is especially suited to be placed on a dining table as is the custom in wellmannered homes and which when in such location acts as an interesting and pleasant-appearing table ornament.

It is another object of my invention to provide a napkin of the character described which can be readily folded by a hostess preparing a table for dining so as to assume its three-dimensional object imitative pose and which can be readily unfolded and placed to conventional napkin use by a person.

It is yet another object of my invention to provide a napkin of the character described which is simple in manufacture and economical in production, and which will be an attractive yet practical object for home use.

I desire to provide dining napkins which imitate threedimensional objects such as flowers, candles, flames, religious objects and the like. It is the custom in Well-mannered homes to place dining napkins along with other dinnerware paraphernalia on the dining table before persons seat themselves for a meal. The napkins, along with the glassware and silverware which have also been placed on the table, are highly attractive and give an atmosphere of elegance to a meal. The decorative napkins to which my invention is directed are designed to further add to and enhance such appearance. My napkins, when properly folded by a homemaker are fanciful imitations of such objects which themselves add an atmosphere of prosperity, well being and elegance to the dining table. By fanciful, I wish to communicate the idea that a person viewing my napkin in its imitative pose will of course not be deceived into thinking that it is in fact the imitated article; rather, he will be pleased and entertained by the interesting and decorative effect given by the simulation of the three-dimensional object.

In general, I carry out my invention by providing a napkin of soft sheet material, e.g. fabric or paper, which is substantially rectangular in shape when unfolded, and of usual dimensions for such an article. The napkin differs from the conventional in that one or more of the napkins corners are cut out so the remainder of the corner, integral with the napkin body, has the outline, i.e. shape, of an upper prominent component of the fanciful object, e.g. the bloom of a flower or the flame of a candle. The napkin including the cut out corners may be colored and decorated in accordance with the motif of the imitated object.

The napkin is then folded or rolled into an elongated shape so that the decorativecut out corner is situated at one end of the napkin. This folding, as will be more fully described subsequently, places the napkin into its imitative pose. The napkin may then be placed directly onto the table or in a glass or other appropriate holder to carry out its decoratve purposes.

These and various other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent to the reader in the following description.

My invenion accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the embodiments of my invention hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown two of the various possible embodiments of my invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a candle-imitative embodiment of my invention held in a glass for use on a dining table;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the candle-imitative embodiment in its flat or unfolded condition;

FIG. 3 is a view of the candle-imitative embodiment partially rolled and prior to assuming its imitative pose;

FIG. 4 is a view taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a flower-imitative embodiment of my invention in the pose in which it is to be placed on a dining table; and

FIG. 6 is a cut-away portion of the flower-imitative embodiment of my invention in its flat or unfolded condition.

Referring noW in detail to the drawings and, more particularly, to FIGS. l-3, the reference numeral 10 denotes a cand=le-imitative napkin which is one embodiment of my invention. The napkin is adapted to be held Within a glass 12 which acts both as a decorative base for the napkin and as a convenient holder for the napkin to position it as desired on a dining table. The napkin may be suitably decorated as by coloring or decorating the flame portion and the candle portion as appropriate to the motif of such an object. When held in a glass 12 in the pose shown in FIG. 1, the napkin 10 simulates a pair of lit candles in a fanciful and decorative manner, which Will enhance the appearance of a table set with dinnerware.

The napkin prior to rolling is a flat blank 14, as shown in FIG. 2, rnade of any conventional flexible and semilimp napkin material such as paper or cloth usually employed for this purpose. The blank 14 is substantially square in shape and of dimensions common to napkins, e.g., 16" on a side.

One or more corners of the blank 14 are cut out so as to form an outline, i.e. shape, 16 which will be a visible decorative component of the over-all imitative effect of the napkin 10.

In the candle-imitative embodiment 1(1) of the dining napkin, two diagonally opposed corners of the blank 14 are cut egg. by die cutting, so as to leave an outline 16 imitative of a flame on each of these corners. As each outline 16 is identical, only one will be described.

Proximate to one of these corners, the blank 14 is cut to provide an edge 18 which runs generally perpendicular to a diagonal between these corners. The edge 18 terminates in a constricted neck 20 joining the flame outline 16 to the main body of the blank 14. One side 22 of the outline 16 starts from the innermost end of the edge 18 (an outer side of the neck 20), flares outwardly so as to give the outline at its midsection a greater width than at the neck 20, and then tapers back to form a tip 24 which may be coincident with the apex of the corner of the hypothetical square formed by the blank 14.

The other side 22 of the outline 16 is a mirror image of the side just described, and like portions of the boundry of the outline have been similarly numbered. Thus it will be seen that a blank 14 has been formed characterized by having a corner-situated decorative outline 16 which has a neck 20 joining it to the main body of the blank 14. The width of an intermediate portion of the outline 16, i.e., a portion of the outline 16 between. the tip 24 and the neck 20, is greater than the width of the: neck 20. The edge 18 and the adjacent part of the side 22 thus undercut the outline 16 so as to leave the overhanging (transversely protruding) portion of the outline 16 in edge relief.

The outline (shape) 16 may be provided with surface decoration to imitate a candle flame, and the body of the blank may be provided with surface decoration to imitate a candlesick with solidified rivulets of melted and then hardened wax running down the length of the candle. One or both sides of the blank may be decorated as described. If only one side of the blank is decorated, care must be taken in rolling the napkin, subsequently to be described, so that the decorated side of the blank appears on the external or visible surface of the rolled napkin. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the blank 14 has both sides decorated.

To bring the napkin to its decorative and imitative pose, the blank 14 is rolled in a manner indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 3, starting with an uncutaway corner B and about an axis parallel to a diagonal connecting the cut corners toward the other uncutaway corner C. As shown in FIG. 3, the blank is rolled into an elongated tube. For best effect, the blank 14 is rolled relatively tightly so that the diameter of the fully rolled blank is less than the greatest width of the outline 16 in its mid-portion.

The blank, in tubular form, is bent in half and inserted downwardly into the glass 12, so that the two halves of the napkin with their flame outlines 16 protrude outwardly and upwardly. The napkin in this pose imitates in a fanciful manner two candles side by side. The widths of the candles are greater towards their lower portion, since they are distorted to a flatter shape by virtue of the head 26 formed when the napkin blank after rolling was bent in half.

As best is shown in FIG. 4, the flame outline to has a 1 larger radius of transverse curvature than that of the rolled main body of the blank 14. The outline follows the curvature of the remainder of the blank only in the area of the neck 20 where the outline is joined to the body of the blank. The transversely extending and overhanging sides of the outline, due to the initial flat configuration of the material of which the blank is made, extends outwardly and follows a less severely curved arch. It is this difference in radii, and the difference in apparent width between the flame outline and the candlestick imitative portion that imparts the desired three-dimensional effect to the napkin.

A flower-imitative napkin 24 is the second embodiment of my invention. It is similar in concept and need only be described briefly, like numbering being employed, but with subscripts to distinguish it from the first embodiment. In this second embodiment, the blank 14,, includes a blossom-imitative outline 16,, joined to the main body of the blank by a constricted neck Ell The outline in this embodiment is cut out at all four corners of the blank 14 Each corner of the blank 14,, similarly is characterized by an undercut formed by the edge 18 and the side 22,, of the outline 16 This undercut leaves the convex, transversely protruding outline 16,, as an overhang in edge relief. The blank 14,, is first folded along orthogonal center lines D and E as shown in FIG. 6 so as to condense the napkin into one quadrant of the blank 14,. This quadrant is decorated to imitate a flower. Two opposed corners of the quadrant, F and G, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, are folded under the quadrant and towards each other so as to form an elongated shape having the blossom-imitative outline 16,, at one end and generally following the stem of the flower. The napkin 24 as thus folded is to be placed into a glass and onto a table where it will carry out its decorative and pleasantly imitative function. The three-dimensional appearance of a flower is given since the blossom outline l6 flares outwardly from the converging lines of the body of the napkin.

When the napkin 24 is placed into the glass 12, the sides of the main body will be curved backwardly, i.e. transversely arched so as to fit into the glass. Since the blossom outline 16 is higher than the top of the glass and is attached to the body of the blank only by the constricted neck 20,, the blossom outline will arch transversely backward ly with a greater radius of curvature than the remainder of the napkin which arches backwardly therefrom. The desired three-dimensional effect is thus achieved.

It will thus be seen that I have provided decorative dining napkins which achieve the several objects of my invention and which are well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments set forth above, it is to be understood that all matter described herein or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A decorative dining napkin of a flexible and semilimp material adapted to be folded to imitate a three-dimensional object in a fanciful manner, said napkin comprising a substantially rectangular flat blank decorated in accordance with the motif of said three-dimensional object, said blank having a corner cut out to an outline of an upper prominent component of said object, said outline having under-cut portions on opposite sides thereof to define a constricted neck connecting the outline to the body of the blank and including an intermediate portion of greater transverse dimension that that of the neck .so that said intermediate portion overhangs the neck in edge relief whereby when the body of the napkin is transversely arched to any specific radius of curvature, the neck will be similarly arched and the outline will be arched to a greater radius of curvature.

2. An imitative lit candle including a flame portion and a candlestick portion, said portions being integral and formed by a configured and rolled napkin of a flexible and semi-limp material, said flame portion constituting an outline cut out of a corner of the napkin and said candlestick portion constituting the rolled body of the napkin, said flame portion being connected to said candles-tick portion by a constricted neck smaller in width than the maximum transverse width of the flame portion so that a section of said flame portion containing said width overhangs the neck in edge relief, said flame portion having a greater radius of curvature than the candlestick portion.

3. Two imitative lit candles, each candle including a flame portion and a candlestick portion, said candles being integral and formed by a configured and rolled napkin of a flexible and semi limp material, said flame portions constituting outlines, cut out of diagonally opposed corners of the napkin and said candlestick portions constituting the rolled main body of the napkin bent in half, each of said flame portions being connected to an affiliated candlestick portion by a constricted neck smaller in width than the maximum transverse width of the flame portion so that a sect-ion of said flame portion containing said width overhangs the neck in edge relief, said flame portions having a greater radius of curvature than the candlestick portion.

4. An article of manufacture formed from a napkin of a flexible and semi-limp material and imitative of a decorative three-dimensional object, said object including an upper prominent component of said object constituting an outline cut out of a corner of the napkin and a transversely arched base of said object formed from the body of the napkin, said component and said base being integral and connected by a constricted neck smaller in width than the maximum transverse width of the component so that a section of said component containing said width overhangs the neck in edge relief, said component having a greater radius of curvature than the base.

'5. An imitative flower including a blossom portion and a stem portion adapted to be transversely arched When placed in a glass, said portions being integral and ormed by a configured and folded napkin of a flexible 5 and semi-limp material, said blossom portion constituting References Cited by the Examiner an outline cut out of a corner of the napkin and said stem UNITED STATES PATENTS portion constituting a folded body of the napkin, said 1937393 11/1933 Root blossom portion being connected to said stem portion by 5 2,770,407 11/1956 Dahm 161-42 X a constricted neck smaller in width than the maximum FOREIGN PATENTS transverse width of the blossom portion so that a section Paper Folding, page 32 of Schooq Crafts and Projects of said blossom portion containing said Width overhangs B k L the neck in edge relief, said blossom port-ion having a ALEXANDER WYMAN, Primary Examiner. greater radius of curvature than the stem portion. JACOB STEINBERG, Examiner. 

1. A DECORATIVE DINING NAPKIN OF A FLEXIBLE AND SEMILIMP MATERIAL ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED TO IMITATE A THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECT IN A FANCIFUL MANNER, SAID NAPKIN COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR FLAT BLANK DECORATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MOTIF OF SAID THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECT, SAID BLANK HAVING A CORNER CUT OUT TO AN OUTLINE OF AN UPPER PROMINENT COMPONENT OF SAID OBJECT, SAID OUTLINE HAVING UNDECUT PORTIONS ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF TO DEFINE A CONSTRICTED NECK CONNECTING THE OUTLINE TO THE BODY OF THE BLANK AND INCLUDING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF GREATER TRANSVERSE DIMENSION THAT THAT OF THE NECK SO THAT SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION OVERHANGS THE NECK IN EDGE RELIEF WHEREBY WHEN THE BODY OF THE NAPKIN IS TRANSVERSELY ARCHED TO ANY SPECIFIC RADIUS OF CURVATURE, THE NECK WILL BE SIMILARLY ARCHED AND THE OUTLINE WILL BE ARCHED TO A GREATER RADIUS OF CURVATURE. 